Brethren bits

— “Do you have a story to share with us?” The Church of the Brethren Deportation Defense Response Team is looking for stories of individuals in congregations who have been directly impacted by immigration enforcement and policy changes, and also for stories of people practicing “faith in motion” on behalf of immigrant neighbors and siblings in Christ. Please contact migrantjustice@onearthpeace.org with a short written story or to schedule a virtual call.

In more news from the Deportation Defense Response Team, there are new resources on the team’s webpage and in its online Resource Toolkit. Recently added are “How to Prepare for Immigration Proceedings” and “Modules on Church Preparedness for Immigration Enforcement.” Said an announcement: “We encourage you to watch these modules and prepare with your churches in the event immigration enforcement comes to your church. If this happens, please document everything and contact Marcia Sowles at msowles@brethren.org.” Find the webpage and a link to the Resource Toolkit at www.onearthpeace.org/deportation_defense_response_team

— During the COVID pandemic, the Church of the Brethren communications staff collected information on congregations offering remote worship opportunities. Since this information is now out of date, updates are requested to help congregations connect with people who are looking to participate in worship online or virtually. Information will be received via district offices and will be posted as it arrives. If your congregation offers remote worship, please contact your district executive minister to ask to be added to this online page titled “Church of the Brethren congregations offer remote worship opportunities” at www.brethren.org/news/2026/church-of-the-brethren-congregations-worship-online

— In a prayer request received from Nigeria, prayers of praise are requested for the final proofreading of the New Testament translation into the Margi language. The Margi translation team is meeting in Jos, Nigeria, for the final proofreading on Feb. 4 to 27, reports translator and EYN pastor Sikabiya Ishaya Samson.

— Julie Wheeler, pastor at Pomona (Calif.) Fellowship Church of the Brethren, is interviewed in an article from the Claremont Courier titled “Local clergy speak out, act in defense of immigrants” by Mick Rhodes. In December 2024, she began hosting ICE Out of Pomona, a community group including representatives from the University of La Verne, Pomona Day Labor Center, Latino & Latina Roundtable, Gente Organizada, Cal Poly Pomona, University of La Verne, Western University, Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, the teacher’s union at Pomona Unified School District, among others. “As a pastor, I am very, very, very clear: Old Testament and New tell us to watch out, be careful for the foreigner, the oppressed, the widow, those that are in jail,” she told the paper. “These are the people that actually are blessed. These are the people that are on the please care about list.” Read more at https://claremont-courier.com/latest-news/local-clergy-speak-out-act-in-defense-of-immigrants-86890

— The National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC) has issued a statement mourning the lives lost to violent immigration enforcement and calling for transparency and accountability from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), citing Isaiah 5:20. The NCC extended condolences to family, friends, and colleagues of Alex Jeffery Pretti and expressed its support for the Minneapolis community and the Minnesota Council of Churches. The statement raised “grave and growing concerns about the presence, role, and intent of CBP and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in communities across the country” and about deaths in ICE custody and detention as well as “the harsh treatment of children—some barely old enough to attend elementary school—and other vulnerable individuals.” It called for an end to federal funding for and a halt to immigration enforcement operations. See https://nationalcouncilofchurches.us/national-council-of-churches-mourns-lives-lost-calls-for-dhs-transparency-and-accountability

Service Sunday is observed on Feb. 1 this year, sponsored by the Service Ministries of the Church of the Brethren: Brethren Volunteer Service, FaithX, Brethren Disaster Ministries, and Children’s Disaster Services. The 2026 theme is “Living with Purpose: Equipping God’s People for Works of Service” (Ephesians 4:11-13). Worship resources in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole are free to download from www.brethren.org/bvs/service-sunday. The Service Ministries have posted a YouTube video slideshow combining photos with the song “Live Out Who You Are” by Seth Hendricks and performed by Seth Hendricks and David Hupp at www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEKmEQM9eBo

— “Peacebuilding Lessons from the Middle East” is an online course taught by Mae Elise Cannon, executive director of Churches for Middle East Peace. CMEP is a partner organization of the Church of the Brethren’s Office of Peacebuilding and Policy. The course is offered from 12 noon to 2 p.m. on Feb. 16 and 23 and March 2 and 9, hosted by the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. “In a time of deep global division and conflict, this course invites participants to learn from the lived witness of Christians in the Middle East who embody faith, resilience, and hope amid adversity,” said an announcement. “Together, we will explore what it means to ‘love one’s enemy’ and move from apathy to action in the pursuit of justice and peace in the Middle East and in our own communities.” Find out more at https://berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/events/2026-02-16-peacebuilding-lessons-from-the-middle-east